Arbutus
by Sascha-Gero
Summary: Sometimes you don't know how much you treasure something until it's gone. It could be a slow realization, or a fast one. But it doesn't matter the timing, because all you care about is getting them back.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this is an old account I never thought I'd return to but the call of shipping is stronger than second-hand embarrassment. Anyway! This is a co-project between me and the wonderful Odekake, and of course neither of us own any of the settings or characters shown in this work. **

**With that said, let's begin!**

* * *

><p>It was not the Arena Ferox of his memories, this elevated platform at the center of a large pit, even if it shared much of the same design. The cheering crowd in the distance seemed to be farther away; their screams of excitement, in a way, hollow. Robin felt a bitter smile tugging at his lips. None of it was real, much like himself.<p>

He turned to study his opponent, a young man by the name of Shulk who carried a large, strangely shaped red sword that looked much too heavy for its wielder. Shulk's attention was on the battlefield, an expression of awe on his face as he took in his surroundings. While he did not appear to be a great threat, Robin knew better than to underestimate the swordsman. Only those who were worthy were allowed in this outrealm.

The countdown sounding off in the background pulled Robin out of his reverie. He drew his weapons and was puzzled when Shulk didn't do the same, but he didn't have time to ponder the thought for long: the fight had begun. Robin made the first move, launching a ball of lightning at his foe. Shulk dodged the bolt easily and charged at Robin, gripping the sheath of his sword.

"Predictable," Robin muttered, raising his arms and releasing a pillar of flames to halt Shulk's advance. "Arcfire!"

Shulk gritted his teeth as he felt the flames singe his clothes and skin. He hadn't expected that – although in retrospect he should've been more wary of a tactician. When the flames dissipated, Shulk saw the glint of Robin's blade as it came down towards him. Drawing the Monado, he parried the strike and quickly rolled behind Robin.

"Back slash!" Shulk shouted, delivering a powerful blow to the other from behind before he could turn around.

Robin had a brief moment to admire the view of Arena Ferox from high up, but he knew that if he was knocked off the stage then the battle was over for him. It was supposed to be nothing more than a series of friendly exhibition matches so that the participants could become acquainted with everyone's fighting styles. But he and Shulk were the first up, and he did not want to be the first to lose. Robin reached into his cloak and withdrew one of his tomes.

"Elwind!" A green-colored gust shot out from his palms and propelled him into the air, enough for him to reach the ledge of the platform and pull himself up.

Safely back on solid ground, Robin and Shulk stared each other down – as if daring the other to make a move. Then, they both ran towards one another with their swords drawn. Shulk and Robin exchanged blows, neither outright dominating but slowly wearing the other down. Eventually, Robin was able to send Shulk flying to the other end of the stage. Putting as much distance between them as he could, Robin drew his strongest tome and took the opportunity to charge it. All he needed to do was bide his time and wait until he had the perfect shot.

However, he soon noticed something strange – his opponent standing motionless, eyes glazed over and expressionless. Robin wondered if he were ill, but quickly dismissed the thought. This was his chance, possibly his only chance.

"Thoron!" Robin called out, releasing a powerful lightning blast. The fast-moving bolt traveled across the stage at speeds that would surely be impossible to dodge. The match should have been over, so it was much to Robin's surprise when he felt a presence behind him. He didn't need to see to know who it was.

"I see it …" Shulk's voice was soft, almost trancelike in a way. Robin spun around, only managing to catch a glimpse of the blue glow that surrounded Shulk's feet, before the full force of the Monado's swing sent him flying out of the arena.

As the match was declared over and Arena Ferox faded from existence, Shulk and Robin were returned back to the control room. The other fighters had been in that very room as well, watching the battle. A few of them approached Shulk and congratulated him on his victory, but most whispered amongst themselves about the various techniques that Robin and Shulk had used. Lucina walked over to Robin and smiled at him, while her ancestor Marth merely observed them with a curious look.

"You did really well, Robin," she said. "I was so amazed watching the two of you fight!"

Robin tried to return her smile, but he was also disappointed with his loss. How was it that Shulk was able to avoid his last attack, and how had he failed to see it coming? As a man of strategy, Robin always prided himself in his ability to stay one step ahead of the enemy – to make sure that he knew the moves they would make before they even made them. But this Shulk had somehow seen through his plans; had turned the tables on him. All he could feel was the crushing sense of defeat.

He had failed as a tactician.

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><p>Robin stared at the open book in his hands, his eyes not truly seeing the words on the pages. His mind still lingered on his defeat the previous day; there was no reprieve from the embarrassment of being the first to lose. Even knowing that Lucina, too, had lost – and promptly sworn her opponent, a Captain Falcon, to be her rival – didn't ease his thoughts.<p>

The frustration was painful to deal with, not that it existed but that it lasted. Couldn't he just get over it already? Apparently that was not the case, considering he was curled up in a ball of quiet self-loathing. But in his profession, defeat meant death - the bodies of his friends, his loved ones.

Here, defeat meant nothing. It was an odd quirk about this world. Arrows that would've been fatal in any other realm suddenly weren't. Blows that would've had him on the ground left him standing, and cleaves that would've split his chest into two he survived. In this world, he did not have to fight with the intent to kill, and it was an odd adjustment to make. How had others such as Link or Marth had managed in this world for so long, he wondered. And how were the other newcomers of this realm – such as Shulk – handling it?

Just then, he heard the sound of the door sliding open – a noise that pulled him from his stormy thoughts. Robin instinctively glanced towards the entrance, and then felt a rather unpleasant feeling take hold when he locked gazes with none other than Shulk. Quickly straightening up in his chair and returning to his book, Robin decided not to acknowledge the other's presence.

"Hello, Robin!" Shulk said, almost sounding cheerful for once. He had a voice that made even his jokes sound like serious statements.

He turned, closing the heavy library door behind him, before he strode over to where Robin sat, despite the latter clearly indicating that he wasn't in the mood to talk – or maybe social cues in Shulk's world were very different, as Robin had learned things unfortunately didn't quite work the same anymore. It was with a begrudging reluctance, a dull thud forming in his temple, that Robin figured he might as well be nice. So he sat up, closing the book on his fingers lightly to mark his place, one half of his mind filled with quiet resentment and the other half marking him as an adult with a child's emotions.

"We never got the chance to talk after our match," Shulk said, extending his hand to the other. "It's nice to meet you, Robin. You fought well."

"… Thanks." Robin shook Shulk's hand, although hesitantly, and took note of the sword attached to his back. It was held up by no sheath or strap, seemingly stuck there as if it had a mind of its own. "How –" he found himself asking, and when Shulk turned to him, a questioning look on his face, Robin simply shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing. And besides … I'm not the one who won. That was you."

"That doesn't mean you didn't do your best," Shulk replied, giving Robin a fleeting but still pleasant smile. "It was a matter of luck, really. I'm surprised I beat you."

His statement didn't ease Robin's frustrations any. He chose not to respond and opened up his book to resume his reading. Shulk scratched the back of his head, aware of the tension that existed between them but not knowing how to defuse it. Robin was taking his loss a lot harder than Shulk would've thought he would. Sighing, he walked over to the other side of the library and studied the books on the shelves, finding nothing of interest. He then turned towards Robin, saying nothing but quietly observing, and leaned against the table behind him. The Monado bumped against the edge of the tabletop, with a dull yet resounding noise.

The world around him disappeared in an instant. Shulk stood motionless – a pale blue light aglow in his eyes, as if time had stopped for everyone except him. And then, just as soon as it had happened, it was over. Brought out of his trance, Shulk drew the Monado and ran straight towards Robin, ready to attack.

The tactician jumped up and dropped his book on the floor, reaching for the tome hidden in his cloak. "What do you think you're doing –!"

"Get down! Now!" Shulk leaped over Robin's barely launched thunder spell, used the chair behind him as a launching pad, and brought the Monado swinging down … at something – or someone – behind Robin. The figure let out an angry howl as it avoided the blow and stood in the clearing.

Robin's eyes went wide and the word was barely audible against his lips, but Shulk heard it as he passed. It was a word that had no meaning to him, something he had no personal connection to – but it haunted him all the same.

"Grimleal."

"Might I ask –" Shulk began, but the staggered foe had recovered his balanced and lunged, cutting him off. He ducked, rolling out of the way and behind the attacker, while they paused at his sudden disappearance.

Shulk saw his opportunity and he seized upon it, grabbing the enemy by the back of his neck and holding him up for Robin to attack. The name of a magic spell was called out, and then followed by a bright, hot light. The impact made Shulk stagger from its force, but did him no other harm. He tossed the foe aside and moved swiftly around the chair to reunite with Robin.

But Robin took a step back, away from him, pulling out his Levin Sword and shifting into a defensive stance. "There's another one …" he managed to say, the waver in his voice all too evident.

And just as those words were uttered, Shulk received yet another vision. He quickly spun around, holding the Monado out in front of him, and caught the assassin's blade just in time with his own. A second later, and he would've had been stabbed in the back. In this world, it was not possible to die during a controlled battle, but did the same hold true outside the tournament? Shulk wasn't about to find out. He pushed the assassin back and rejoined Robin with a single hop backwards.

"How can this be happening?" Robin said, to no one in particular. "Why are they here? How did they get here?"

"We can worry about that later!" Shulk replied. "For now, let's finish this!"

Robin shook the buzzing from his head and reached for his bronze sword, dashing around the chair and spinning in a circle. The blade cut into the enemy's side and with a gargled cry, they staggered. He stepped back for the finishing blow, but Shulk had taken care of it by the time he had righted himself. His weapon and lit up with a strange pulsing glow and he dashed forward, slicing into the skin and dropping them onto the ground.

"Well, that's the end of that," Shulk said, placing the Monado against his back and trying to swallow back the bile rising in his throat. In his world, it was unheard of for a Homs to kill another Homs. Even if these men weren't Homs and were explicitly out for blood, it still felt wrong. "But … how did they even get here?"

"This is bad," Robin muttered. He held his tome in a tight grip, his knuckles white and a tense expression on his face. "The Grimleal know where this place is … there could only be one reason they're here …"

"What are the Grimleal?" Shulk asked, thankful for a distraction. "You mentioned them earlier, but what exactly are they? Enemies of yours?"

"Enemies is … putting it lightly," Robin said, swiftly turning on his heel to leave the room. He couldn't look at the bodies anymore, he needed to regroup and plan before any other calamity occurred. Not to mention that he needed to warn everyone. "They're a force from my world, practitioners of a religion to an evil god … they're fanatical."

"And they want you?" Robin glanced over his shoulder to see Shulk striding along to match his pace. He hadn't expected the other to follow him, but since he was …

"… Yes," he said slowly. "They want me. I just … I don't understand how they got here …"

Shulk stopped him in his tracks with a hand, gripping tight onto his shoulder. He spun him around until they were face-to-face, pushing his sliding silver frames – which Robin noticed just then that he was wearing – back onto the bridge of his nose.

"One step at a time. First, let's find out if there's any more of them." Shulk released him then and strode forward, and this time it was Robin who had to scramble to catch up. "Can't go running around playing detective with a blade at your back!"

Robin was tense and stressed and unnerved, but Shulk made him crack a smile at that.

* * *

><p>Lucina had taken the news just as well as Robin had expected, which was to say terribly. She had been in such a state that not even her revered ancestor could calm her down. The look in her eyes was all Robin needed to know that she wouldn't hesitate to cut him down if it would save Ylisse, even if it was not her own Ylisse. Even if neither of them truly belonged to any Ylisse.<p>

He'd found himself spending more time around the others, not only in case Lucina raised her blade against him but also for protection against the Grimleal. It was almost certain that more of their cultists would come after him, now that they knew where he was. But he had also befriended more people than he would've ever talked to otherwise. It helped stave off the feeling of loneliness he'd been feeling since he'd first come to this world.

Shulk was also insistent on watching over him and had rarely left his side since that day. At first Robin hadn't known what to think about it, but he found that he wasn't displeased with the other's company. Shulk had proved himself to be a good friend. They had talked with one another often, and yet Robin hadn't properly thanked Shulk for thwarting the Grimleal. But more than that, there was something else about Shulk that Robin wanted to know.

"How did you know they were there?" Robin asked, drawing his sword and watching as Shulk did the same.

"What do you mean?" Shulk held the Monado in one hand, waiting for Robin to make the first move. The tactician had requested to join him in a training session, and Shulk hadn't refused. The two stood in a simulation room resembling the Gaur Plains, a place that was familiar to Shulk.

"The Grimleal. You knew that man was there before he attacked … or even showed himself." Robin charged at Shulk, bringing his sword down.

The other swordsman easily dodged the blow and rolled out of Robin's reach. "Ah, right …" He thrust the Monado forward, the laser extension of the blade knocking Robin back. "I have … visions. I can see the future."

"You sound so enthusiastic," Robin said with a laugh, staggering back to his feet and using his sword as a crutch. He swung the sword out to his right. "But really. That's … actually an amazing ability. Think of the tactical usage that has."

"My foresight has let me see into the would-be future, to prevent disaster." Shulk pushed off with his right leg and dashed forward to clash his sword against Robin's, only to be greeted with empty air as Robin sidestepped around him. For someone who was an oddly slow runner, his dodging was near impeccable. "But … as important my visions are, I've had to watch people I love die – over and over again. And all the people I couldn't save, even with my visions …"

Shaking off the sudden feelings of guilt, just as the tip of Robin's sword met his shoulder blade, Shulk readjusted his grip to better handle his own weapon. He swung his hand around behind him and loosened his grip, just enough to knock Robin's sword down.

"Oh, I … never thought of it that way," Robin mused, kicking at the Monado with his foot to free his sword, letting out a soft swear when his toes collided against it.

Shulk laughed and looked over his shoulder, just enough time for Robin to shove him in the back and send him stumbling forward. By the time he spun back around, the tactician had retrieved his sword again and had it held aloft, a little smirk of achievement dancing across his face.

"It's not something that I let my mind dwell upon," Shulk said, returning the expression and sheathing the Monado over his back. He sat down on the edge of the platform they were on. Robin did the same. "This power lets me change the future, for the better. To forge our own destiny."

"Change the future, huh?" Robin gave a soft laugh. "You remind me a bit of Chrom – my friend. He's Lucina's father."

"Her father, huh?" Shulk turned to him with a curious look. "How so?"

"There are two ways I could answer this," Robin deadpanned, with a pointed look.

Shulk merely blinked, propping his cheek up with the palm of his hand, before his blue eyes went wide and he smacked a hand against Robin's shoulder. "That's not what I meant!"

"I'm aware, I'm aware." Robin threw up his arms in a mocking sort of surrender.

"That does explain why you're so wise, however," Shulk said quietly. "Older friends tend to install their knowledge in you after a while."

"Older …?" Robin's eyebrows knit together as he tried to remember Chrom's age exactly – or, rather, while Chrom's age wasn't too difficult to pin down his own was a disaster. "Chrom's barely any older than I am, if that."

His statement gave Shulk a start, his head almost dropping out of his hand completely. He straightened himself swiftly, pressing a finger to the bridge of his nose as if he were pushing up glasses that he wasn't wearing. "Wait. Wait, I – did you not just say he was Lucina's father."

"I did." The tactician tried not to make his amusement obvious.

"But Lucina is … your age."

"Yes."

"And her father is … your age."

"Yes."

He shot Robin a look out of the corner of his eye, his gaze filled with confusion and worry. Shulk inhaled sharply. "Robin," he began, his voice thin and concerned.

That was Robin's cue to start with the damage control. "I can explain," he said, turning himself around to fully face the other. "Lucina is … she's our age, yes, but she's not from the same timeline as I am. The Lucina you see arrived from the future, in order to prevent a catastrophic event from darkening the world – such as what she experienced. She returned to save us, basically." Robin watched Shulk's face carefully to see if he were processing the words. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest, however, and Robin had to rapidly blink away the bubbling discomfort that formed under his skin. "Are you following all right?"

"I-I'm quite all right," Shulk replied, although it was evident that he was struggling to process this information. "It's just quite strange to hear about … even after everything that I've seen." He paused for a moment, and then said, "Those men whom we fought in the library. They're the ones responsible for the catastrophic future Lucina came from?"

"Yes." Robin's expression darkened and he stared off into the distance. He barely noticed that night was falling on the Gaur Plains. "In Lucina's future, I … killed Chrom. And Grima was revived. I wasn't strong enough to resist the power they had over me. And … I don't want something like that to ever pass …"

"Hey." Shulk rose to his feet, a determined look in his eyes. "That won't happen, I'll make sure of it. The future is ours to decide. It doesn't belong to anyone else." He extended a hand to Robin, a smile replacing the resolve. "Come on, we should probably get back now."

Robin traced his gaze from the tips of the fingers, curling lightly in their impatience, up to the soft smile of the person offering. He was right, in every sense. The future was truly theirs to decide. As he had learned there, standing on ancient tiles and staring up at darkened skies, this was their future, yes, but they had the chance to fight it at every turn, make their own future.

He returned the smile and laced his fingers in between Shulk's own.

But if only, if only, Robin would find himself thinking some time later. If he TRULY had control over his future, he would have been able to stop.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just a quick notice for this chapter - there will be HEAVY spoilers for both Fire Emblem Awakening and Xenoblade, so tread lightly. And also, to the reviewer who mentioned Shulk not being able to harm people: while yes, it cannot do any damage to Homs, his opponents were not of his world and therefore not protected by his world's rules. The Grimleal aren't Homs, to put it simply, so with that in mind he CAN damage them. If that's an alright explanation.**

**Now that that's been cleared, let's get to it!**

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><p>Shulk looked down at the super scope on his bench and let out a heavy sigh. It was a difficult feat already trying to figure out how to safely disassemble the object in question, but made even more strenuous by Ness's presence behind him. The younger fighter had taken an interest in observing him tinker with the various items used in the tournament, and seemed to always be aware of when Shulk planned to be in his workshop.<p>

He didn't have anything against Ness, not really, but Shulk found that he was not at all comfortable being around him. It had been none other than Ness whom he had lost to in the exhibition match, but Shulk was not upset about his defeat. Rather, it was what he had learned about Ness in that match – something that was directly responsible for his loss – that Shulk could not ignore.

Ness was a mind reader.

The psychic boy was a longtime resident of this world and the only person who had been able to counter Shulk's visions. By the time he'd realized that his every move – his every thought – was no secret to his opponent, Shulk had been in no position to recover. And had Ness been any other person, Shulk would've accepted his defeat graciously with a vow to be better prepared for the next battle. But Ness was a mind reader, and Shulk's only other experience with mind readers was not at all favorable.

It reminded him of the Telethia – terrifying creatures from his homeland with an origin that made him shake if he thought about it. Shulk would never forget the first time he'd faced a Telethia, how his enemy had anticipated and reacted to all of his attacks before he had even made them. It brought along a plummeting feeling of helplessness, like he was watching the world around him fall apart again. Even if he now knew how to shield his thoughts so that none could pry into them, mind readers still made his hands shake uncontrollably and his thoughts turn into a mess. His memories of the Telethia and all they reminded him of brought out his anxiety like a blade, sharp and fast, and left him feeling cold.

His memories … they only made everything worse. The recollections of events that he'd never experienced; the old feelings of guilt for occurrences he'd never foreseen and never failed to stop; the panging of love and longing for companions he'd never met and never journeyed with, for people who never had and never would exist to him. They were the reason everything was wrong. Because everything was fake.

All of the people and the places in this world were but a mere replica of something that existed in an outer realm – manifestations of heroes and other iconic figures from various universes with the personalities, memories, and abilities of the originals but none of the experiences. The only thing that was real about this world was its creator god; a being that appeared in the form of a white glove, with the appropriately fitting name of Master Hand.

Knowing that their true purpose was only to fight and compete against one another, that everything they'd believed was true had never been real, must have been hard for all of the inhabitants of this world to understand. Shulk knew that, and he knew he was not even the only newcomer. But the adjustment was doubly hard for him because of his real counterpart's experiences.

If Shulk had no trust for mind readers, he had even less of it for gods. The creators were unpredictable – and dangerous. They could turn on their creations without warning, use them and their lives as they saw fit. The others may have accepted their purpose in this world and Master Hand as their creator, but Shulk couldn't dismiss the fear that it was only a matter of time before they would all be annihilated at the hand of their god. What his counterpart had been through had colored his views and fueled his paranoia.

This world was very much his own personal hell.

An impressed sound from behind him drew Shulk back to reality. He glanced down at his hands and was surprised to find that he'd somehow disassembled the super scope while reminiscing. Ness was also at his side, standing on his tiptoes and clinging to the edge of the workbench for a better look. Masking his discomfort at the other's proximity, Shulk distracted himself by studying the pieces of the super scope.

"Hey! Shulk!"

With a startled cry, Shulk dropped the pieces – the sound that they made as they clattered against the table loud and rattling. He turned around, instinctively reaching for the Monado even though he'd left it in his room, and relaxed when he saw who had called out to him. "Ike, it's you. Don't sneak up on me like that," Shulk said, narrowing his eyes.

Ike just laughed and patted him on the back. "Sorry about that," he said, and then nodded to Ness in greeting. "Anyway, I thought I should remind you of your trial against Master Hand. It's later today."

"Ah, yes …" The smile on Shulk's face faltered before he could stop it, but he forced it back into place. "That." He turned to his bench to retrieve a part of the scope, just to have something to hold so his shaking hands didn't give him away. "I remember."

"Of course." Ike tried to keep his tone as light as possible, but he couldn't keep all of his worry out of it. He and Ness exchanged looks, unbeknownst to Shulk. As the only two people who were aware of Shulk's story, they knew why he had such distrust for this world – it was deeply set into his core. Ike could tell by the tension in Shulk's body that he was not feeling a confrontation with Master Hand. "Anyway," he started, "Ness and I have a match soon, so we'll be going now. But we'll be there to support you during your trial, okay?"

"Right, right." Shulk nodded, although he looked very tired. "See you guys there."

But neither of them were surprised when Shulk again failed to show up a third time.

* * *

><p>Eighty-five … eighty-six … eighty-seven …<p>

Robin easily sidestepped the punch that was thrown at him and retaliating by thrusting his sword forward, sending all three of his enemies flying off the platform. As he began charging up his Thunder tome, Robin mentally upped his knockout counter while he waited for the last wave to appear. Only ten more enemies left.

The Mii Fighters were not molded from the essence of another, like he and all the others were. They were Master Hand's original creations, made entirely from scratch. Lacking much of the autonomy and freedom of choice that the other inhabitants of this outrealm shared, they often served as mobile training dummies and not much else. Alone, the Miis were hardly a challenge – the true test was being able to endure the continuous onslaught of opponents.

Once all the enemies had been cleared, the platform Robin was standing on faded away and sent him back to the simulation room. As the tactician struggled to catch his breath, he noticed someone at the doorway, silently observing him, uncaring whether she was seen or not.

"You're … the goddess Palutena," Robin said, unsure how else to acknowledge her. He had never spoken to her directly before, and even if he recalled memories of speaking to the deity of his world, Palutena was no Lady Naga.

"Ah, Robin! Now that I've got your attention …" She gracefully rose to her full height – sliding off her staff, which she had been sitting on. "There is something I wish to speak to you about."

Her words made his blood run cold, and a sudden chill ran down his spine. Palutena's tone was friendly and light, but Robin suspected ulterior motives. "Y-you wanted to talk to me about something," he repeated, the nervousness in his voice all too evident.

"I came by for a chat really, it isn't anything too serious," she assured him, the smile never leaving her face.

"… Very well." Robin retrieved his sword, and then hurriedly stuffed his tomes inside his coat pocket. "Shall we … step outside?"

"Oh, there's no need for you to interrupt your training," Palutena said, idly twirling the staff with a pensive expression. "I know! We'll fight together in this next run. That way we can talk."

Before he could protest, Palutena had already started up the simulation and the room had transformed into the battlefield he'd fought in moments earlier. With a sigh, Robin drew his weapons as the Mii Fighters started falling from above. He and Palutena cleared the first wave of Miis in silence, and Robin was soon too preoccupied with trying not to get knocked off the platform to worry about the goddess.

About a minute into the session, there was a brief period in which the Miis had stopped coming. It was then that Palutena spoke. "I've been keeping an eye on you, Robin."

He flinched, dropping his Elwind tome just as the Miis began to reappear. Snatching it up off the ground, Robin sent two of his enemies flying with a quick spell. "Oh … what for?" he asked, doing his best to stay calm but unable to conceal the fear that she knew something.

"Just observing, like I said." Palutena swung her staff in an upward arc and a beam of pale blue light shot out of the ground, striking two Miis. "But I did notice something very interesting …"

"I-interesting?" Robin did not like the sound of that.

The goddess released a handful of sparks into the air, which alighted to become fireworks the moment they hit its target – sending three Miis hurtling off the platform. She placed a finger beneath her chin and her tone became teasing. "Well, other than you having your nose constantly in a book and probably not having any friends, that is."

Robin bristled. "Is there any point to this conversation, or are you just here to insult me?" The venom in his voice and the force behind the swing of his sword was proof that he did not take kindly to Palutena's words.

But she merely laughed in her good-natured way. "Don't be so touchy, Robin! But yeah, there is." Her expression immediately became serious, all traces of amusement gone in an instant. "For such a nice person, you have a lot of darkness in your heart."

It was like she had punched him right in the stomach. Robin suddenly felt short of breath, couldn't speak or move his body at all. He barely noticed the Miis that were approaching him from behind, didn't even realize that Palutena had sidestepped around him and taken them out before they could attack. It was as if his world had come to a standstill.

"I … I-I don't know what you're talking about," he said, once he'd regained his ability to speak, but his words were far from convincing. Although Robin knew he wasn't fooling anyone, he had to try – lest he lose himself and forget who he was.

Palutena looked at him sternly. "I would think that you do."

Of course he knew – how could he not? It was his greatest secret – a terrible truth that haunted him to the core. It was everything that he wanted to keep hidden from the others; they could never know. And yet, Palutena knew. She knew of the evil that existed inside him, and it scared him more than anything.

"I'm a goddess of light, Robin," Palutena went on when it became clear that Robin was not going to respond. "I can see fluctuations in light and darkness, and I can see yours. There's no point in lying. I just have to wonder …" Her serious expression was replaced by a thoughtful one. "How did that happen to you?"

With a sigh of resignation, Robin clenched his fists and looked down. The simulation was over; he felt a wave of relief rushing through his body. "With all due respect, that is none of your business."

"Oh! Then I won't pry any further. It just worries me is all." Palutena's tone had returned to its usual lightheartedness, but there was a warning edge in her voice – a threat that if he didn't stay in line, she would not hesitate to strike him down. "Anyway, it appears that our session is over. Good day, Robin."

And with those words, she gracefully strode out of the training room – nodding to Shulk in polite acknowledgement as they passed one another in the doorway. Shulk tensed up and didn't return her greeting. Palutena was no creator, but she was still formed from the essence of a goddess and at times seemed to look down on mortals. He did not trust her.

"Robin, I didn't expect to see you here," Shulk said, trying to distract his mind from the uneasiness of having been in such close proximity to the light goddess. "I suppose it's a sign that we need to practice for tomorrow's match!" But his forced levity quickly turned to genuine concern when he saw the troubled look on Robin's face. "Are you all right? You're so pale …"

"Aren't I … aren't I always pale, though?" Robin turned away and moved towards the control panel. If he focused on the buttons, he could at least pretend he was breathing normally or that his head wasn't swimming. "The hundred-man smash?"

There was no initial answer, just the steady thumps of Shulk's footsteps as he approached Robin. "That's fine," he replied, making Robin flinch and spin around. One moment he hadn't been there; and the next, there he was.

"Don't do that …" Robin muttered, forcing a laugh as he selected the proper settings. "You'll really make me pale then."

"I didn't mean to scare you." A lengthy pause hung in the air and Shulk folded his arms, frowning. He could tell that something wasn't right with Robin, but he didn't know how to bring it up – or if he should just stay out of the tactician's business. "Are you sure that everything's all right?" he finally asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine … really." Robin kept his head lowered, avoiding Shulk's inquiring gaze, as he finished making the final inputs. "I've been training here all day … just tired is all. Now come on, the simulation's about to start."

The scenario flickered around them, signaling its start, and Robin reached for his sword almost robotically. Shulk immediately dashed forward, laying waste to the first two Miis that appeared, while Robin stayed frozen – his sword just barely in his weakened grip and about to fall.

Much like his sanity, really.

If there were one thing he wanted desperately to forget, it was his origin. Even if the pain that came with first discovering his past weren't truly there, it still left his chest hollow. The only thing he could feel was the painful throbbing in his chest; every other thought, even the tips of his fingers, was simply numb.

It was a heavy feeling, realizing he was nothing more than a monster.

Just then, Shulk thrust his sword forward – the laser extension of the Monado hitting a Mii Fighter behind Robin and sending it flying off the platform. The power emanating from the Monado's energy blade, only mere inches from the side of his face, was almost tangible. It was enough to bring Robin out of his haze, for the time being. He shot a weak thunder spell at an approaching Mii and retreated, bumping into Shulk and standing back-to-back with him.

"Watch your back, Robin," Shulk said, holding the Monado out in front of him. "They're everywhere."

"Y-yeah." Robin held up his tome and began charging his Thoron spell. His elbow briefly brushed against Shulk's, and he suddenly felt very hot – like he was burning up under his heavy coat. The tactician shook his head, trying to dismiss the uncomfortable sensation.

He was nothing but a shell, the mortal vessel for a terrible evil – and what bothered him the most was that he'd gotten Shulk involved; Shulk, who had befriended him and whom Robin had deceived into believing he was a good person. There was no point in hiding any of it now. The Grimleal's appearance had already made that obvious – what cult wanted a good, normal person – and Lucina's distrust in him was painfully obvious.

It would only get worse, and Robin knew that well. He had to tell Shulk.

Robin took a step back, lowering the almost empty Thunder tome to his side while the finality of his decision washed over him. It was like being covered in bugs – lots of tiny, pinching bugs with hairy legs; their hooked feet digging into him. The feeling wasn't going to leave anytime soon, not unless he said something.

They were just words – so why did his mind feel so empty, and his throat so constricted?

"Hey." There was a light tap on his shoulder, but it was enough to startle Robin. He shied away from the touch, nearly dropping his Levin sword, and spun around. Shulk was right behind him, one arm outstretched and a concerned look on his face. The room had also reverted to its original form; the simulation was over. "Are you sure there's nothing on your mind, Robin? You seem really distracted."

He didn't answer at first – he couldn't. Instead, Robin walked towards the door, quietly beckoning Shulk to follow him while his brain scrambled questions with the clueless carelessness of a child given his first puzzle. Should he talk about this here? In his room? In Shulk's room? In the library? Should he consult Lucina? Every thought raced around a circular track in his mind, over and over; he was certain they were going to eventually crash.

"Robin?"

Or they could crash now – brutally, at that, with an intensity that made his head throb.

"I – there's … all right." Robin sighed. He twisted his fingers in his hair as he turned back around to face Shulk, but he could only look at him for a few seconds before his gaze was back on the ground.

There was something about the deep concern embedded in Shulk's blue eyes that always made him falter on conversations like this, especially since the concern was for him. But, in a way, Shulk had changed things. Normally, the feeling that came over Robin was one-dimensional guilt; this was a feeling with different facets that left his knees weak and shaking.

"All right, I need to tell you this, before –" He cut himself off, taking in a deep breath to steady himself (even if it did no good – he still needed to press his back against the wall). "Would you still associate yourself with me if you knew what you were dealing with?"

Shulk blinked in quiet confusion, then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What, Robin?" he asked, sounding almost exasperated. He closed his eyes and looked away.

Robin felt a chill running down his spine like cold liquid. It made him feel almost sick inside, to think that he really had placed such a burden on his friend.

But then, Shulk turned back to Robin – the concerned expression returning to his face. "If something's wrong, you can't bottle these sort of things up – you have to tell someone." He took a step closer, his voice softening. "You can tell me."

The tactician swallowed thickly and pressed forward. "I was speaking to Palutena earlier – well, rather, she was speaking to me."

He paused, words dying out on him, and Shulk took the silence as an opportunity to ask, quietly pushing him to speak again. "Palutena … the goddess, yes? The one of stars?"

With a tense shake of his head, Robin reminded Shulk once again of the differences between Rosalina – the actual goddess of the stars – and Palutena. For a moment, Robin slipped into old memories, recalling the way Shulk's face had scrunched up and the little lost mumbling of, "Aren't stars and light similar things, just in different terms …?" as he pondered over it and the way his eyes had lit up once Robin had fully explained. "There's so many universes and worlds and rules I can't keep up at times, and light magic isn't something I'm terribly familiar with …" Shulk had muttered. He had seemed wary of it then, and the existence of a goddess devoted to something he knew nothing about likely made him even warier now.

"Ah," Shulk said, his voice flat. "Right." He cleared his throat and readjusted his tone to something a bit less empty. "What did she want?"

Robin's chest immediately kicked into overdrive at the question, because it meant that he needed to answer truthfully. He tipped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, embracing the final moments in which Shulk was his friend and there were no complications.

"She, ah, reminded me of something. About Grima." There was no beating around the bush anymore – there were words that needed to be spoken, and he was the only one who could do so. "I –"

"Grima?" Robin blinked, opening his eyes fully to look over at the other. Shulk had that befuddled expression on his face again, just like during their conversation about the goddesses – just as weirdly endearing now as it had been then.

"What do you –" He cut himself off, trying to recall if he'd ever spoken of Grima to his friend. "Did I not mention that?"

Shulk tapped a finger against his upper lip as he racked his brain for any memory of the name. "I don't know," he said lightly, shaking his head once he'd pulled himself from his thoughts. "Not that I can remember."

Frustration was slowly building up within Robin at his inability to mention important details. What he was about to explain would be so much easier to deal with, so much less of a pain to describe, if his tongue didn't dry up and tie itself into knots so often. He let out a huff. "I could've sworn –"

"I think I would have recollection of that conversation, so …" Shulk interrupted, with a wave of his finger.

"Yes, because you have a memory that scholars would kill for," Robin muttered.

The other paused for a moment, shooting him a baffled look, before he started laughing. "That's beside the point!" Shulk shoved his hands against Robin's arm with enough force to make him stumble but not enough to knock him over. Robin retaliated with a shove that staggered him. Each second Shulk took to right himself again (and push up glasses he wasn't wearing, which took him some time to realize) was another that he could keep, adding to the ones he was already running from to keep himself from ruining the only friendship he had.

He was a monster, however. Shulk deserved to know.

While Shulk placed his hands behind his back, pretending that he hadn't fumbled around for eyewear that he'd left behind in his room, Robin built up his courage – brick by brick, word by careful word, until he could breathe and feel clear-headed enough to speak.

"I'm Grima," he said, and those two words opened up the floodgates for all the others to follow. He closed his eyes, and in that comforting darkness Robin could wholly accept himself. "I'm Grima …" he repeated monotonously, as blank and cold as the darkness Grima reveled in. "And Grima is me. He is the fell dragon, wanting nothing but despair and revenge. In my world, he was put to sleep by Lucina's ancestor over a thousand years ago. But the Grimleal have been trying for centuries to create a perfect vessel so that he can return – I'm that vessel. If the ritual to awaken him is completed, he'll be awakened through me. And if that comes to pass … the only way to stop him is to kill me."

And thus his secret was finally out in the open. Robin felt like a weight had been not just lifted, but thrown from his shoulders – far off into a void of space and broken apart. With the words spoken, he felt like he had finally come to terms with it. He waited, counting off the seconds as they ticked by; Shulk stayed far too silent. Robin could hear the sounds of every shuffling movement either of them made, the rhythmic soft ticks from a clock he couldn't see. Time moved incredibly slow during those empty moments, until Shulk finally cleared his throat and said one, decisive word.

"No."

Robin barked out a laugh that he had to suppress with his hand, and he shot Shulk a withering look over the tops of his fingers. His mind was flooded with five different responses of five different magnitudes, all of them trying to escape him at once. He swallowed thickly, feeling his head clear just enough to attempt speaking again even if all he could choke out was a bewildered, "What?"

"I said no," Shulk stated evenly. "Last I checked, your name is Robin. Not Grima."

"But Shulk –" he tried to interrupt, but Shulk cut him off with a quiet shush and a wave of his hand, murmuring for him to listen for a moment.

"When I met you, I met you as Robin," he said. "When we encountered the Grimleal, the person I helped was Robin. The person I befriended then was Robin, and the person I'm speaking to now is Robin, no matter what sort of demons may lay inside you." The blond pushed himself off the wall, turning to face him fully. "I assisted you once, and I'll do it again if it's needed. That's what friends are for, after all."

While Robin was deeply flattered, a part of him felt his chest constrict at the very thought of putting Shulk in any more danger. "Shulk, no," Robin blurted out. "I can't let you put yourself in danger because of me. I can't. I – I won't." He drew in a sharp breath and then looked away – or attempted to. He had barely turned his head before Shulk gripped his jaw and gently directed Robin's gaze back towards him.

Shulk closed his eyes for a brief moment to collect his thoughts, and Robin did the same (although inside his chest there was a storm brewing and Robin wasn't sure whether it was the impending conversation or … no, it was the conversation – nothing more).

"And I can't let you do this alone. I won't." There's something about the echo, the way his words are tossed back at him that makes Robin's heart lurch. "I refuse to, especially since we've been in similar situations."

"I … I don't understand."

"In my world," Shulk began, "I am the only person who can wield the Monado. My mentor, Dunban, could as well, and he defended our colony with it until … the Monado rejected him. He lost his right arm because of it. However, I could use the Monado without it rejecting me, and I only learned why I –" Shulk paused, collecting himself before he pushed onward. "I was only able to wield the Monado because I was the vessel for the god of Bionis. He would have destroyed everything and everyone in my world to continue his own existence. And I played right into his hands until we learned the truth."

A heavy silence loomed over them once Shulk had finished speaking. It weighed on his shoulders as if he were still bearing the pressure of his own secret, even if both of theirs had been announced in the open.

It dawned on him slowly, the realization that they were so similar.

"So," Shulk continued, after a tense minute had passed, "we're both catalysts of a fate we don't want any part of. And I didn't handle my situation alone … so there's no way I'm going to let you handle yours like that. Is that fair?"

Is it fair, he says. "I just don't want anything to happen to you." Robin crossed his arms and glanced down at the floor beneath him before looking back up – his gaze falling on Shulk's hand, which he had suddenly lifted to his chest. It was a simple movement, but the fleeting expression of discomfort on his face did not go unnoticed to the tactician's observant eyes.

"What?" Shulk asked. Robin merely pointed a finger at his hand – which he dropped to his side almost immediately. "Ah, I always do that …" he assured, dismissing the topic with a flick of his wrist.

"_No you don't_", Robin found himself thinking. All of these unnecessary logs of his actions, but Robin's never seen him do that.

* * *

><p>The battlefield looked the same as it always did – an oddly comforting sight after having spent much of the previous day training in that location. Shulk took in his surroundings as he landed on the left platform. Standing below him on the stage itself was Robin, a tense look on his face and most likely planning strategies in his mind. Zelda, the princess of a land called Hyrule, waited patiently on the uppermost platform – which meant that Shulk was directly facing her partner, Samus.<p>

It was a small relief that she was not wearing her orange power suit and had opted to fight without it instead. Although this world did not have Mechon or Machina, it was not free of inhabitants that reminded Shulk of both. He tried not to remember the first time he had encountered R.O.B. – memories of the Mechon invading and destroying his hometown had come flooding back; Shulk had flown into a blind rage, and he would've annihilated the poor robot had Master Hand not interfered and disabled the Monado's power.

A red orb drifted into his line of vision and before Shulk could react, it exploded. He'd been so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the battle had started. Zelda's magic had only made him stumble, though, and Shulk was able to recover his momentum. Activating his Speed art, Shulk raced off his platform and onto the lower end of the stage. He rolled behind Samus, who'd tried to paralyze him with her stun gun, and then thrust the Monado into her back.

"Elthunder!" Robin shouted, knocking Zelda away with a spell fired at close range. He hurried over to Shulk and began charging up his tome again. "You all right?"

"I'm holding up just fine!" Shulk replied, trying to dismiss his unpleasant recollections and shift his focus to the battle at hand. "So … what's the plan?"

"We should stay on the defensive." Robin raised his shield to block Samus' laser whip, then thrust his Levin Sword forward only for her to cartwheel out of the way. "Samus can move a lot faster than either of us without her suit. We won't be able to keep up with her if we go on the offensive. And Zelda's magic is powerful, we don't want to get careless around her either."

Shulk directed a glare in the princess's direction and rubbed the back of his neck. "I can attest to that," he said. Her fire spell had hurt a lot more than Robin's Arcfire had.

The tactician would've continued their conversation, but in his moment of distraction Samus had taken the opportunity to hit him with her paralyzer gun. Shulk turned around, ready to strike her down with the Monado, but before he could move Zelda teleported herself between Robin and Shulk – her Faeore's Wind sending them flying opposite to one another.

A powerful kick from Zelda knocked Shulk off the stage, but he quickly righted himself and used Air Slash to return to the main platform. The skyward attack was enough to let him grab onto an edge. He crawled back onto the stage, barely avoiding Zelda's sweeping kick, and caught a glimpse of Samus and Robin on the other end. Robin had taken several blows from Samus's paralyzer, unable to move or raise his weapons to defend himself. And with Zelda blocking his path, keeping him on the defensive, Shulk couldn't help him either.

Switching to his Jump art, Shulk leaped onto the uppermost platform – landing directly overhead Zelda – and tumbled down to stab her from above before she could react. The moment his feet touched ground, Shulk shifted into Smash and struck Zelda in the back with the Monado. The blow sent her hurtling past the blast zone. Shulk went to help Robin, but by then it was already too late. Robin had managed to break away from Samus and had thrown his Levin Sword at her. Samus, despite taking a sword to the face, merely wrapped her laser whip around Robin so that he couldn't retaliate and threw him off the stage.

With both of their partners out of the fight, the decisive battle would be fought between Samus and Shulk. Dispelling his Smash enchantment, Shulk held the Monado out in front of him and waited for Samus to charge him. But Samus seemed to have similar thoughts and remained on the defensive. The two of them were locked in a lengthy staring contest, daring the other to move first, but neither willing to do so.

Finally, Shulk grew tired of waiting and ran towards Samus. The bounty hunter quickly fired a paralyzing shot from her gun to stop him in his tracks, but Shulk had anticipated the attack and easily sidestepped out of its trajectory. He swiped at her with the Monado, but missed by a fraction of an inch. Samus closed the gap between them in an instant and punched Shulk in the face hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground. She jumped in the air and moved into a dropkick, but Shulk rolled out of the way. As soon as she was back on the ground, Shulk took the opportunity and struck her with the full force of the Monado, sending her flying up but not enough to knock her past the blast zone. Samus threw her gun at Shulk, hitting him in the head with it, and was able to retrieve it before he could recover.

"Ow," Shulk complained, rubbing his head. "I don't think I can afford to drag this fight out any longer, I have to end this now."

Activating his Smash art, Shulk waited for Samus to draw closer – slamming the hilt of the Monado against the ground so that the laser blade extended upward. Samus was able to stop in time to avoid getting hit, then she charged at Shulk again. But that was what Shulk had wanted her to do. He quickly shifted the Monado and thrust it out in front of him – Samus had walked right into the attack, and this time the force was enough for a knockout. And not a moment too soon for Shulk, who was starting to feel winded.

The match was declared over; Samus and Shulk were returned to the control room, where the other fighters immediately greeted them. Samus stormed away in silence with a sour expression on her face, but Zelda didn't seem nearly as affected. Rather, she was giving Link some encouragement for his own match that was to follow. Mario was speaking to him, but Shulk barely heard any of it over the loud chatter.

"All right, Shulk!" A familiar voice in the crowd shouted. Shulk didn't need to see who it was – only one person ever clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make him nearly fall over. "I knew you were going to win!"

"Ike, didn't I tell you not to do that?" the other swordsman retorted lightly. He returned Ike's grin out of politeness, but felt his eye twitch when he caught sight of Ness clinging onto Ike's shoulders. Ike and Ness made for an odd pair of friends, but they were partners and despite their massive differences seemed to get along well enough. Shulk shook his head and tried to ignore the dull throb in his chest – he must've been more out of breath than he realized. "You're only excited because this means we're facing you next round."

"Now don't be like that!" Ike said, laughing. "It's going to be a great match! I'm really looking forward to test your strength against mine!"

"There's no way I can beat your strength in itself," Shulk argued. "You'd win a battle of muscle for sure. Oh, Robin!"

"Hey," the tactician said, pushing his way through the others to join Shulk. He nodded to Ike and Ness in greeting. "I guess we were able to win. Sorry I wasn't more help."

"But you did help." Shulk winced slightly as he felt his chest pain worsen. Trying not to let it show, he went on, "Your advice, it really helped. I might've gotten careless if you didn't tell me to stay on the defensive, otherwise –"

"Uh, hey, Shulk, are you feeling all right?" Ike interrupted, frowning as he studied his friend's face. "You seem to be out of breath, and why are you clutching your chest like that?"

"He's right, you look unwell …" Robin bit his lower lip, no doubt a sign that he was deep in thought. "You should probably lie down for a few minutes, we'll help you back to your room –"

But the world around him was beginning to disappear – fade into nothingness like he was about to be teleported into battle. His chest felt so tight, so heavy, it was getting harder to breathe. Shulk barely heard Robin and Ike call out to him, didn't even realize he couldn't stay on his own two feet anymore.

Shulk collapsed to the ground, and everything turned to black.


End file.
